Tierney Sutton having been nominated for a Grammy in 2005 for her work on I'm With the Band (Telarc, 2005), has achieved something truly groundbreaking and distinctive with her follow-up, On the Other Side (Telarc, 2007). It has been hailed by many as her best work, not only due to the musicianship, but also for the subject content in which she addresses the all-encompassing topic of happiness and its ever-present pursuit.

Sutton has collaborated with jazz greats ranging from pianist/vocalist Diana Krall to trumpeter Randy Brecker. Her exceptionally gifted vocal ability has proven to be an asset to the jazz community.

Katrina-Kasey Wheeler spoke to Sutton to discuss On the Other Side..

All About Jazz: When did you first realize that you wanted to pursue music?

Tierney Sutton: I always sang as a child, but I didn't want to be a professional musician until I heard jazz in my late teens.

AAJ: Is there one particular recording or artist that inspired you?

TS: Early on I was more into instrumentalists than vocalists. I was into a lot of early Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Bill Evans. I later started listening to singers, Nancy Wilson and Bobby McFerrin.

AAJ: Your voice has been featured on so many wonderful films, was that something that you wanted to achieve?

TS: I didn't really give it a lot of thought, to tell you the truth. As I was making my choice to move to either Los Angeles or New Yorkone of the elements of the business that I thought would be good to get involved with is film and television work, to help me survive as a jazz singer. I have been fortunate to do that. It has always been a lot of fun. It is great to have the variety of work that I do in Los Angeles.

AAJ: That is wonderful to have so many opportunities. You have garnered much critical acclaim and success. You were nominated for a Grammy, which is outstanding. Is that validating in any way?

TS: Honestly, I think that the most validating thing for me, by far, is the fact that the band has stayed together for as long as we have. I hold the musicians that I work with in such high esteem. The fact that they are willing to play with me after all these years is the biggest validation.

AAJ: That is a testament to your working relationship. So many bands break up, it is a pleasant surprise to see a band stay together, as your has.

TS: Yes, it has been a really hard thing to do, but it has been a wonderful, growing relationship. I feel that it is really better than ever.

AAJ: Your release, On the Other Side, has been called your best work to date. Do you agree?

TS: I can honestly say that this is the first time that I ever finished a recording and walked out of the studio and said, "This is the best record we have ever made. Always in the past, I had grown to accept the record before, and wondered if this record would be as good as the previous release. This time I knew that we had gone to a new place in that we all allowed ourselves to be pushed hard. As we walked out of Capitol [studio] we felt that this was our best record to date. I felt this way from the beginning, but I am already thinking about the next record, which I am sure will be the best record, I hope.

<AAJ: You have the intuitive ability to convey the emotional undertones of so many of these songs, within the broader topic of the pursuit of happiness. Do you hope that the listener will connect with this album on an emotional level?

TS: Making an album is kind of like painting a pictureyou hope that you have created something beautiful and meaningful to you. I have been really happy with the amount of care that the band put into the sequencing of the record, which is being noticed by a lot of people. This record was more fully conceived than our other records. We had an idea of how this album was going to begin and end, and a certain sense of the music before it was completed. I think having that broad view of the project made it more comprehensive. I never like to assume what people should get from it, because I have already had responses to it that were really interesting and different

AAJ: That is a gift in itself. Why did you at this time, choose to talk about the pursuit of happiness, on this album?

TS: In my lifetime, there has never been a bad time to talk about this topic. From the moment that I started singing, I think that I have been inching my way toward recording a spiritual record. My idea of what spiritual is may be a little different than what someone else thinks to be spiritual. For me, the idea of spirituality is ultimately what is essential to us, rather than what changes and diminishes. Also, what is meaningful and will last in the long term. We live in a culture that really seems to deify short-term satisfaction to profoundly dire consequences. I am not twenty-five anymore, and I am thinking about these things in terms of: raising a child, keeping a family and band together, as well as the state of the world.

I was watching Bill Moyers' Faith & Reason and the guest, who was a Buddhist monk, said, "We hate unhappiness, but we are addicted to the things that cause it. That is really what this record is about. There is this underlying voice in our culture that says, "Be happy. There is something almost sinister about that, to a certain degree.

I love jazz because it rewards careful listening. Jazz can be as deep and complicated and deep as classical music, but with a sense of modernity and FUN. It swings!
My parents listened to jazz a little bit

I love jazz because it rewards careful listening. Jazz can be as deep and complicated and deep as classical music, but with a sense of modernity and FUN. It swings!
My parents listened to jazz a little bit. Then in high school I got a crush on my best friend's older brother, who was a huge jazz fan. He turned me on to Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (which was also the first album I ever bought) and the rest is history. I've met many musicians. It's a joy to live in NYC where there is such a vital community and lots of interaction between players and audience.
The best show I ever attended was... God, there have been so many great ones. My absolute favorite might be the John Lurie tribute concert at the Town Hall. Was it 2013 or 2014? I've been a huge Lounge Lizards fan since the '90s, and many of my favorite local musicians are graduates of that band. It was a joy to see so many of them come out and show their love for John Lurie. Even though he doesn't play sax anymore, he is still a presence. There was so much LOVE in that show. And since the Lounge Lizards don't perform anymore, it was a treat to hear their music live again.
My advice to new listeners... JUST KEEP LISTENING. If you're used to repetition and easy hooks of rock or pop music, you might find it challenging at first to float along with the unpredictability of jazz. But the rewards are worth it! You will learn to listen actively, not passively, and as you tune your mind into every note, texture, and harmony, you'll begin to listen to music in a new and different way. At the best live shows, it's almost a meditative experience for me. My mind just trips out on the music. It's pure bliss, even if the music is abrasive or
challenging.
Also, don't be afraid to LISTEN TO ARTIST YOU'VE NEVER HEARS OF BEFORE. The greats like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, etc. are famous for a reason. Their music stands the test of time. But there are so many young artist pushing the boundaries and creating their individual style. You might not love every show or album you listen to, but you'll discover so much. Jazz is not a museum piece--it's a living, breathing art form with almost infinite possibilities.
Finally, if you love the music, PARTICIPATE IN THE ECONOMY. Buy some new CDs instead of streaming everything. Go to live shows and pay the ticket price. Even if it's donation only and you can sneak in for free, remember that most of these artists have years of training and have devoted themselves to an obscure art form out of pure love. Playing music is their job. You get paid for your job, and musicians deserve to get paid too.